(Ditching the journal and first person format, didn't want to continue it, but I kept it in the first one bc I liked it there)
We met up with the caravan in the morning. It was plagued with the sort of sun that reccomended squinting and scrunched faces. The pilings of wind dusted cars and wagons, made brown by the time and road lined up for about a mile. People scurried about, fastening, hitching, and tethering down belongings and supplies in a lightening fast manner that showed their teamwork and skill. But it was the very people that made The Librarian nervous.
Aside from her usual anthrophobia, she thought on the journey that lay ahead of her and her party. It would be a long one, stretching out from the city limits to the nut brown farmlands of the Fox Valley. With this many people, together with such a long sojourn, the Librarian could only estimate how long it would be before they were ransacked. It was not a question of happenstance, merely time. But worrying would have to wait, as there was always room for those able, to help work in the caravan. So there group split. Miles and the nameless soldier wandered to the front of the train, helping here and there. The young Alice walked to the back car with the Librarian and they set to tying down some tarps.
After just a few minutes, the sweet young girl decided to finally try to chat with the rundown older woman.
“So…,” Alice somewhat nervously albeit still cheerfully said, “How’s things at the library?”
She was met with a pause and then a begrudged and mumbled, “Fine,” from the Librarian, keeping her eyes on her scarred, callused, busy hands.
While this would signal most adults to allow the conversation to die, as clearly the other party was an unfriendly, rude acquaintence; Alice thought better of her. In fact, Alice beamed at the coming of an actually audible response. In her past with the woman she knew the Librarian to be a good person, just dusty with the harshness of her upbringing and environment. Brightened by this she continued as any young and talkative girl would.
Energetically, she continued, “Oh, and how is Sonia!” She squeeled, “It’s been so long since I last saw her.
Upon this statement Alice could see the down turned face of the Librarian brighten up just a bit. Her eyes would still not meet the girl’s, but a clearer voice spoke with,
“She’s doing quite well. Of the people we’ve converted to the Lore Keepers, there are many children. Sonia has taken the task of teaching them to read on herself. I myself have to admire her for it, I don’t think I could deal with such wild little things. But she says she loves it”
“That’s so great!” Alice exclaimed. “ I think it’s lovely that she’s found something that she’s good at and makes her so happy. It’s something to be hopeful about, that the times aren’t as dark as they might seem. And with the spread of the Lore Keepers, she might even get the chance to travel to other areas and teach.”
The Librarian listened as she went about her work, but she couldn’t help but let her face fall as the girl brought up the very thing she’d never been honest enough with herself to actually fear. Sonya was 16 now, old enough to go out on her own. And why shouldn’t she. She was a bright, young, beautiful girl so full of promise. It seemed like only yesterday when she found the tiny thing. An urchin on the Madison streets and brought her home. The Librarian knew nothing of what it was like to be a mother, much less human companionship. She’d spent all her life alone, searching and scavenging in the abandoned halls of libraries and booksellers. Sonia brought more joy to her life then she’d ever thought possible. She avoided other people, unable to truly connect with them because of her crude behavior, but Sonia? Sonia always understood her, and that understanding formed a lifelong bond between them. Even though the Librarian traveled the land, raiding and questing, she knew Sonya would always be there waiting for her to come home. Without her, the librarian shook the thought out of her head, and steadied her hand to tying another segment of rope.
"Focus on your mission," she thought, "it’s all you can do."
Alice would have attempted conversation again, always the optimist, but there suddenly was a ruckus coming from the head of the caravan. The trouble the Librarian anticipated had come earlier than even she expected. Looking at Alice, she said,
“Let’s check it out. Just stay behind me.”
When they got to the source of the trouble, the Librarian could see a group of about eight fiendish uniformed goons scattered about. They appeared to be grabbing random people and their supplies, herding them into a group. Among them, the Librarian could see their companion, the female stranger. Pale, she appeared to be begging escape from her captors, even falsifying herself as, ‘Sarah.’ She attempted a cautious cry, yelling the same name in an attempt to throw off the fiends, but to no avail.
“There’s no use in helping her,” Miles said in a calm tone. He seemed at ease with himself, as he came up to their flank. “She’s a goner, like the rest. The best we can do is lay low and hope they don’t find us. Besides, we have no idea who she is, for all we know she has it coming.”
Alice shared glances with both the Librarian and Miles.
“It seems very dangerous, I have nothing to fight them with, it wouldn’t be smart.” Holding out only a pocket knife and pole she had grabbed upon hearing the danger. “But… But there must be something we can do!” She looked between the two again, almost pleadingly.
The Librarian had her fists clenched the entire time. She looked on at the mess. There was no literary inspired visions to veil over what was happening. She was about to shout the woman’s false name again, when suddenly one of the men slammed his fist into the back of her head, instantly crumpling the woman to her knees, knocking her out.
As Alice audibly gasped, the Librarian spun around, her anger intensified.
“Do you still suggest we do nothing! Look around you, this will never end unless someone steps up!!” She struggled to keep her enraged voice low so only her companions could hear.
Miles narrowed his eyes, “Don’t you see. There’s nothing you can do, this is the world we live in now.” Holding his arms out at the crime and violence in front of him, presenting it to her like a ringleader would at the raised curtain at a freakshow. “Just accept it!”
The Librarian could feel herself relenting to his cold realism, but then she looked at Alice, who seemed to only stare frightened at the mess before her, and she thought of Sonya. That was all it took.
She stared directly into Miles’ eyes this time and exclaimed, “Maybe you see the world as it is, and it’s helped you survive this long. I understand this, so have I. But here, right now, I can see a symptom of a problem, and I intend to do my part to cure it in any way I can.”
She grabbed Alice by the hand and spun around with her walking to the man who’d knocked their friend out. She explained their plan, that it might not work, but they both agreed it was worth a shot. It all hinged on whether or not these were soldiers who knew the social hierarchy. Walking straight up to the man, with Alice guarded behind her body, she found the courage to speak to the man.
“Sir, Im afraid we must ask for my companion over there back. You see, she and I were both hired by the Deucette family to accompany their daughter to the Fox Valley. I don’t think that they would appreciate finding out that you fellows did this to someone they hired, even inhibiting their daughter’s safety.”
She hoped that this would discourage the man. As the Deucette family was well known among the Crawleys and no one would dare cross them.
But the man merely gave an amused look and said, “huh, so she’s rich.”
He shouted to his now far away companions to come near. The Librarian knew their plan had failed. She pushed Alice farther behind her, going for her pistol. But before she could draw, a swift wind came and sliced through the air. Blinking, the Librarian realized what it was. Miles had appeared, brandishing his blade, he cut the man down into his jugular, forever silencing him.
While the poor Alice, who’d never seen anyone die before, went white as a sheet and froze. The Librarian was aso stunned, but made so by the skilled blow and quickness Miles demonstrated.
He looked at her, shouting, :”Well don’t just stand there! No one has seen yet! RUN!!” And though it pained her to do so, she decided to follow his advice. The three all ran to hide.
We met up with the caravan in the morning. It was plagued with the sort of sun that reccomended squinting and scrunched faces. The pilings of wind dusted cars and wagons, made brown by the time and road lined up for about a mile. People scurried about, fastening, hitching, and tethering down belongings and supplies in a lightening fast manner that showed their teamwork and skill. But it was the very people that made The Librarian nervous.
Aside from her usual anthrophobia, she thought on the journey that lay ahead of her and her party. It would be a long one, stretching out from the city limits to the nut brown farmlands of the Fox Valley. With this many people, together with such a long sojourn, the Librarian could only estimate how long it would be before they were ransacked. It was not a question of happenstance, merely time. But worrying would have to wait, as there was always room for those able, to help work in the caravan. So there group split. Miles and the nameless soldier wandered to the front of the train, helping here and there. The young Alice walked to the back car with the Librarian and they set to tying down some tarps.
After just a few minutes, the sweet young girl decided to finally try to chat with the rundown older woman.
“So…,” Alice somewhat nervously albeit still cheerfully said, “How’s things at the library?”
She was met with a pause and then a begrudged and mumbled, “Fine,” from the Librarian, keeping her eyes on her scarred, callused, busy hands.
While this would signal most adults to allow the conversation to die, as clearly the other party was an unfriendly, rude acquaintence; Alice thought better of her. In fact, Alice beamed at the coming of an actually audible response. In her past with the woman she knew the Librarian to be a good person, just dusty with the harshness of her upbringing and environment. Brightened by this she continued as any young and talkative girl would.
Energetically, she continued, “Oh, and how is Sonia!” She squeeled, “It’s been so long since I last saw her.
Upon this statement Alice could see the down turned face of the Librarian brighten up just a bit. Her eyes would still not meet the girl’s, but a clearer voice spoke with,
“She’s doing quite well. Of the people we’ve converted to the Lore Keepers, there are many children. Sonia has taken the task of teaching them to read on herself. I myself have to admire her for it, I don’t think I could deal with such wild little things. But she says she loves it”
“That’s so great!” Alice exclaimed. “ I think it’s lovely that she’s found something that she’s good at and makes her so happy. It’s something to be hopeful about, that the times aren’t as dark as they might seem. And with the spread of the Lore Keepers, she might even get the chance to travel to other areas and teach.”
The Librarian listened as she went about her work, but she couldn’t help but let her face fall as the girl brought up the very thing she’d never been honest enough with herself to actually fear. Sonya was 16 now, old enough to go out on her own. And why shouldn’t she. She was a bright, young, beautiful girl so full of promise. It seemed like only yesterday when she found the tiny thing. An urchin on the Madison streets and brought her home. The Librarian knew nothing of what it was like to be a mother, much less human companionship. She’d spent all her life alone, searching and scavenging in the abandoned halls of libraries and booksellers. Sonia brought more joy to her life then she’d ever thought possible. She avoided other people, unable to truly connect with them because of her crude behavior, but Sonia? Sonia always understood her, and that understanding formed a lifelong bond between them. Even though the Librarian traveled the land, raiding and questing, she knew Sonya would always be there waiting for her to come home. Without her, the librarian shook the thought out of her head, and steadied her hand to tying another segment of rope.
"Focus on your mission," she thought, "it’s all you can do."
Alice would have attempted conversation again, always the optimist, but there suddenly was a ruckus coming from the head of the caravan. The trouble the Librarian anticipated had come earlier than even she expected. Looking at Alice, she said,
“Let’s check it out. Just stay behind me.”
When they got to the source of the trouble, the Librarian could see a group of about eight fiendish uniformed goons scattered about. They appeared to be grabbing random people and their supplies, herding them into a group. Among them, the Librarian could see their companion, the female stranger. Pale, she appeared to be begging escape from her captors, even falsifying herself as, ‘Sarah.’ She attempted a cautious cry, yelling the same name in an attempt to throw off the fiends, but to no avail.
“There’s no use in helping her,” Miles said in a calm tone. He seemed at ease with himself, as he came up to their flank. “She’s a goner, like the rest. The best we can do is lay low and hope they don’t find us. Besides, we have no idea who she is, for all we know she has it coming.”
Alice shared glances with both the Librarian and Miles.
“It seems very dangerous, I have nothing to fight them with, it wouldn’t be smart.” Holding out only a pocket knife and pole she had grabbed upon hearing the danger. “But… But there must be something we can do!” She looked between the two again, almost pleadingly.
The Librarian had her fists clenched the entire time. She looked on at the mess. There was no literary inspired visions to veil over what was happening. She was about to shout the woman’s false name again, when suddenly one of the men slammed his fist into the back of her head, instantly crumpling the woman to her knees, knocking her out.
As Alice audibly gasped, the Librarian spun around, her anger intensified.
“Do you still suggest we do nothing! Look around you, this will never end unless someone steps up!!” She struggled to keep her enraged voice low so only her companions could hear.
Miles narrowed his eyes, “Don’t you see. There’s nothing you can do, this is the world we live in now.” Holding his arms out at the crime and violence in front of him, presenting it to her like a ringleader would at the raised curtain at a freakshow. “Just accept it!”
The Librarian could feel herself relenting to his cold realism, but then she looked at Alice, who seemed to only stare frightened at the mess before her, and she thought of Sonya. That was all it took.
She stared directly into Miles’ eyes this time and exclaimed, “Maybe you see the world as it is, and it’s helped you survive this long. I understand this, so have I. But here, right now, I can see a symptom of a problem, and I intend to do my part to cure it in any way I can.”
She grabbed Alice by the hand and spun around with her walking to the man who’d knocked their friend out. She explained their plan, that it might not work, but they both agreed it was worth a shot. It all hinged on whether or not these were soldiers who knew the social hierarchy. Walking straight up to the man, with Alice guarded behind her body, she found the courage to speak to the man.
“Sir, Im afraid we must ask for my companion over there back. You see, she and I were both hired by the Deucette family to accompany their daughter to the Fox Valley. I don’t think that they would appreciate finding out that you fellows did this to someone they hired, even inhibiting their daughter’s safety.”
She hoped that this would discourage the man. As the Deucette family was well known among the Crawleys and no one would dare cross them.
But the man merely gave an amused look and said, “huh, so she’s rich.”
He shouted to his now far away companions to come near. The Librarian knew their plan had failed. She pushed Alice farther behind her, going for her pistol. But before she could draw, a swift wind came and sliced through the air. Blinking, the Librarian realized what it was. Miles had appeared, brandishing his blade, he cut the man down into his jugular, forever silencing him.
While the poor Alice, who’d never seen anyone die before, went white as a sheet and froze. The Librarian was aso stunned, but made so by the skilled blow and quickness Miles demonstrated.
He looked at her, shouting, :”Well don’t just stand there! No one has seen yet! RUN!!” And though it pained her to do so, she decided to follow his advice. The three all ran to hide.